Song: Melodies of Life (a duet)
Singers: Choco-cat and Ai-Honey
Venue: Grand International Cosplayball at Clapham Junction, London.

Dear Crowd, shut up! Lets Dance!

Related Media
Warriors and Maidens have a ball – BBC.
The ascent of Manga – Independent

I’d barely waved my fellows off and sat down to do my obligatory facebook housekeeping, when there was not one but two articles published in relation to the event. I admit and I hope some other fans are willing to agree, I’m typically defensive about anime in the media because more often than not, it is horribly misrepresented like using poo to describe chocolate.

Even though the Second, Independent article gives my typing fingers an itch associated with giant fleas, I think there is more good than not overall so I will refrain from rebuttal. It’s not entirely factually correct and the presentation sucks balls but at least it’s positive exposure.

The video article on the otherhand was abrupt and missed the point. Now I love the BBC and most of what it stands for but what really irks me is the title: Warriors and Maidens, eh? Not sure if that title is made up or written by a myopic dimwit.

Cosplay, I suppose must be difficult to define for those who are exclusive to wasting 100s of hours a year watching Pretty boys and Loliffed girls! (No-one even mentioned Anime). In fairness, that label could be worse. I find it a shame that the professionalism and dedication of the best costumes weren’t highlighted. They were certainly not short in abundance!

The feelings, imagery and sound from the night were truely euphoric. The first international ball was a definitive success. There has yet been a sequel announced but I’m sure to attend it.

To Aru Majutsu no Index – #01
Academy City

There are 59 new shows this season. Fifty Nine! That’s alot of time.
59 x 25 – 30 (for 15min animated shorts).= … 1600 ish?
or Profit?
or More than I can be, evidently given I’d just made the exact number of new shows,  bothered to count?
or More shows than I can even be bothered to check using Tee-Test Animu Vetting Sis(tm).

All the relatively meager anime I’m watching are conservatively, sequels, except one. My TAV Sis ™ has been good to me so far, not that it was used. No, this anime I picked because Kawada Mami sings the opening. This isn’t the first time and won’t be the last. Given my record, I may as well rename the title of this blog The-Anime-blog-with-one-of-the-I’ve-Sound-girls-in-the-opening!

There should be little sense in this, I’ve sound hardly review an anime before they send in one of the Girls, do they? Yet for me, this anime ticked all the right boxes: comedy, action, futuristic Tokyo, superpowers, magic, fanservice, lolis and costume. Of course, marketing tick boxes are definitely not a good show make. Sky girls, an opening sung by I’ve girl’s Lia, had all of the above but turned out to be a lewd drag. Kawada Mami is also responsible what I regard as a great opening to another sadly drab Shakugan no Shana the second show.

That I’ve sound have also produced this season’s softly hypnotic Clannad opening, among shows like Higurashi, Shana and Kanon, reveals a history of attaching to a mixed bunch of good and bad quality moé animé. It’s pretty random, I hope that Touru Majutsu no index happens to be one of the good ones.

Yes, I’m aware of the pompy audacity that a grand international cosplay ball that most of my international readers have never heard of ensures. Probably disrespectful of all is to have the event advertised in a language which isn’t even native in Japan, the home and greatest of cosu-play nations. Nevertheless this shall be a chance for the old masters of Gothic and Victorian wear to show off their laces on the historic streets of London. That is, if anyone makes it out that far without getting trampled on.

The first event of the weekend, to start in about 10 hours (My sleep being less than sufficient) and is staged at the Trocadero, right in the heart of London’s west end, next to our less busy and smaller Times Square or Shibuya billboards copycat, Piccadilly Circus. It is not a jolt near the gradeur of it’s imitation sake, la Trocadéro. Hence why you’d find a toy shop, speciallising in animé and Japanese toys, plus a Meron Pan dispensing Japanese supermarket round the corner.

Apparently some cosplay award winners are also attending both this event and the cosplay ball, errr… I don’t know who they are. I didn’t know cosplay awards existed nevermind winners of such. That’s probably because it’s one of those community self certified awards (I joke!) which are fixed to goto whoever decided to arrange it. Of course you can win an award if you invent it, it’s easy (Here’s a clue, don’t name it the Baka-Raptor Awards ).

Although I shall be camera carrying to these events, I have no idea what chances I’ll get to take photographic evidence. I shall need something that might prove to Japan that our Island is neither trapped in the 19th century, the battleground of invading aliens, a country of magic, french or imperial rulers through the British Library (+2 of my comments to whomever names all the anime first! – there are 3 animes in the 19th Century)

Links:

Tokyo Toys Cosplay Event 2pm, The Trocadero, London.
Grand International Cosplay Ball, Clapham Grand, London.

No time to watch silly cartoons means time to I be a little impatient. If at 2 episodes into a new series, I get bored to the point of struggling to pay attention for 20 minutes, that suggests a significant depreciation in the quality of the series right? In episode 2 of series 2, 2 things are clear: nothing happens and Yuki is a Moetard.

They have a costume, almost cosplay, ball, it appears. A so called vampire banquet but I’d rather attend one than watch one. I have absolutely no idea why a meeting of the Vampiric upper society was required as Kaname’s negotiations barely exceeded that nonchalant expression of his. He says something along the lines of “f**k you” and literally, the spineless aristocracy fall in line to offer him their daughters. Then the nasty aristocrats go away and leave Kaname to whatever he was going to do anyway.

What a drag, did something happen? No. Even the almost tense love scene between Yuuki and Kaname was all wrong. It was unatmospheric due to being lit up like a hockey match and the music didn’t even turn up to play something noticeable.

Whatever happens next, it’ll all be Kaname’s fault, it’s always his fault!

No… this isn’t evidence of too much time spent in /b/! This means I’m busy fighting off the undead, of course.

I have absolutely no idea how Martin manages to have a full-time job AND manages to blog lengthy, seemingly  well informed critiques on his animé consumption. I neither had the weekend free nor the funds to attend THAT meet. Maybe he’s an Time traveller? Or an Alien? Probably not an Esper though – that’s just another case of Japanese misusing the English language. Having now got a job it’s apparent that whatever his ability is, I haven’t got it. Here’s the crux of my problem: My animé consumption has essentially been 120 minutes… a month!

There is nothing to blog because there is nothing watched. A void of brightly coloured imagery and high pitched foreign vocals. An animé holiday it’s become, a break I  recommend to fellow bloggers if the season’s dry and the work seems laborious. For me, it’s been useful to redefine firstly, why given the abundance of substitutes, make an effort to become a fan of Japan cartoons? Secondly, why I would ever want to tell anyone about it; let alone the whole wide web (and it’s Lawyers -_-).

More reflection will be dedicated to a post with a picture of Haruhi in the near future, but here’s my scheduale for the relaunch:

Watching:

Clannad~after story (ep
Jigoku Shojo Mitsuganae (ep 4)
Ef ~ a tale of melodies (ep 1)
Vampire Knight: Guilty (ep 3)
Toaru Majutsu No Index (ep 2)
Naruto (ep 76-77) (OMG lolz)

To Blog:

• Reflections
• VK:G ep2 <- Booring Ball and stupid Yuuki
• Naruto Ship <- Timeskip
• Toaru Majutsu No Index ep 1 <- Bastard child of Shakugan no Shana
• Code Geass:
  4-Komas of ep 17 <- lol, Tokyo gets destroyed, how origional!
• 4-Komas of ep 18 <- Rocket Emporer
  4-Komas of ep 19 <-???
  4-Komas of ep 20
  4-Komas of ep 21
  4-Komas of ep 22
  4-Komas of ep 23
  4-Komas of ep 24

On hold:

Wagaya no Oinari-sama (ep 18) – I really, really don’t care about Wagamama anymore…
Itakiss (ep 20)
Kimi Kiss (ep 16)
Soul Eater (ep 4)
The daughter of twenty faces (ep 13)
Mai Otome  OAV (ep 3) <- Actually, after Sankaku Complex reports that this is fanservicy, do I want?

Vampire Knight Guilty First Night
Sinners of fate

There’s something about vampire knight that I can’t help but admire because despite the crappy animation, stale comedy, mellow drama and Yui Horie, I warmly welcomed Vampire Knight back into my life. That’s a privilege I usually reserve only for my parents and my cat – the latter doesn’t even have a blood sucking monster story behind it.

The ’season break’ is becoming a regular occurrence in animeville now, To Love Ru and Kanokon are other uptakes. I like it. It allows time for fans to digest the plot, have a natural mid-season break in pace and in this particular case, underline a major turning point. Oh, I guess some of you also appreciated the chance to furiously sketch Zero x kaname Porn.

And there were significant changes, following some Sucking Events, Shizuka’s death has attracted the attention of the council and Zemo is now Kaname’s toyboy (which hasn’t warranted any reaction whatsoever!). Yet some beautiful plotting makes the episode begin almost as it began all of 6 months ago – Chairman Cross is still straight as a Boomerang, Z-EMO is a emo, Yui Horie Yuki Cross is still a Moetard. One change, I distressingly admit despite my extremely upset state (ohh how could you?) is that Kaname is turning into a bit of a cunt. Nooooo.

Nah.  I don’t really care, I care more about Maria. It seems she will probably serve little purpose now Shizuka is finished toying with her body. Cast off; like a unwanted doll. This should be a lesson to all of you who thinks being used by a blood sucking vampire is a good thing.

Kaname is now entangled in Vampire Council matters which must’ve tweaked his ego cos he’s only spent this episode being obnoxious, manipulative and snobby. The way he chides Yuki and looks down on Zemo is a bit shocking really. He’s an bit of a pommy cunt actually!

~ Teeif

Naruto Shippuuden 70
Resonance

But vot happened to mah Nuke?

Sora with Kuubi’s powers imbued within is like a Russian superpower, uncontrolled resurgence, angry and unpredictable. Sorabi easliy brushes away the best attempts by Chouji, Shikimaru, Ino and (laugthably) Sakura’s (useless) best wishes to restain him. Two massive overpowered AOE nukes and Captain Taichou’s improvised wooden shelters later (Lol, made out of wood?), and really there’s only one thing stopping that awesome monster – that’s the power of love Naruto’s origional Kyuubi.

Except, he fails to match Sorabi’s 4 tails, nevermind 5, or even 9. Perhaps I getting a little ahead of myself here, there can only be 4! We know this because, underwhelmingly, the concept art for nine tails hasn’t been drawn yet… -_- . There was so much build up only Naruto shut down Kyuubi and transformed back before the end with perhaps the lamest excuse since Iraq.

That’s like, lol, wut? How do you expect to win now? It seems America (You know, the blond haired Yankee) is not keen to stretch it’s military muscle so seems to have pretty much conceaded to the Russians, or has he?

Naruto Shippuuden 71
Friends

Forget the fight, or the making up gayness what not – that was rubbish!

Who were those 2 Akatsuki chasing the Jinchuriki? It was right, right at the end and hopefully represents how the storyline will shift up a gear now that the fillers are essentially over.

~ Teeif

Naruto Shippuuden 68-69 (Naruto 288-289)
Red Chakra! Destruction and Rage: Naruto Shippuuden special.

Naruto gets a bad hair day. This time it wasn’t even a mess up by one of the poor junior artists/slaves working at Studio Pierrot’s Korean workhouses. This was Fuuka, the woman’s scorn, something Naruto seems to get a lot of. It took pretty much all the first half of this filler for Naruto to defeat the old hag.

Soon after Naruto dispatches the floating hair and red eyes that became the essence of Fuuka (in full slow motion animation), he heads off in pursuit of his love/friend. Face it, he sucks up to Sakura for show, Naruto is only serious when he is gay.

See my case proof in Naruto’s love for Sora, for he is this arc’s Sasuke substitute. Naruto starts off rivaling lesser-Sasuke, spends last episode fighting with lesser-Sasuke and all of this episode chasing after lesser-Sasuke in desperation to ‘rescue’ him- does this sound familiar? If mentioning Sasuke in that sentence 3 times doesn’t give you a clue, go stick your head in some sand, you’ll find the answer there (but please don’t sue me!).

Not really a criticism. What better way to create a filler story almost identical to main plot then to rewrite it and change the characters slightly? Sora is a emo, wants revenge, has a hidden inner power and is courted by a fat version of peadomaru; Furido/Kazuma is yet another bad guy who manages to conduct unethical experiments enhancing ninjas within the walls of Konoha, gets kicked out and now wants it’s complete destruction. I actually can’t knock them for replicating the actual good things of Naruto; epic battles and colourful characters – but by colourful I just mean black !

Because of some retro-plot-making-up-age, Sora becomes Kyubi because Kazuma inserted Kyubi’s chakara into his son’s cells. Next episode, we are headed for Kyubi against genetically engineered Kyubi – I don’t care how it doesn’t make sense, this will be awesome.

~ Teeif

The Amecon Gallery of Epic Fail-win (1st edition)
Part 3: Crossdressing and others

Almost certainly the thread containing the biggest Fail-Wins ever since Man-Faye.

The Amecon Gallery of Epic Fail-win (1st edition)
Part 2: Couples, Furries and the best Narutard eva!